A reception to introduce and welcome incoming Augusta University President, Dr. Russell Keen attracted a full house on his first day in the job.
Students, faculty, and staff lined up to greet Keen during a reception in the Jaguar Student Center prior to the ceremony to kick off his new leadership.
Among those attending was Dr. Marc Austin, among the final academic hires by retiring President Brooks Keel.
Austin told ABD he was pleased with what Keen has said about moving Augusta University into its next phase of development.
“It was exactly what I would have hoped for, which is we’re going to continue to grow, but we’re going to do it in a way that supports our students,” he said. “I think that’s one of the big challenges for any university, and this president is the right president at the right time to take on that student-centric challenge that we all face.”
Austin serves as Dean and Associate Provost of Augusta University Online, one of the newest programs started during Keel’s tenure. He said he anticipates there will continue a similar focus on what the university wants to accomplish.
“What I’m looking forward to is a conversation that extends beyond the vision as we move into the next stages of growth. It’s the how questions,” he explained. “How do we do this? How do we balance growth with the need for more faculty? How do we get that balance right? So, I really believe that’s why Dr. Keen is so perfect for this role. He really understands striking that balance between vision and reality.”
Following a brief reception, it was standing room only for the ceremony to officially welcome the new president.
Yvonne Turner, the university’s Executive Vice President of Finance, led the ceremony. Turner had also been a member of the Presidential Search Committee.
She said Keen is a first-generation college student from his family. After graduating from Lakeside High School, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from Georgia Southern University. He went on to earn a doctor of higher education degree from the University of Georgia.
“President Keen has spent more than 20 years working in higher education at the University System of Georgia. For the past 9 years, he has served as Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff to the President,” said Turner. “During that time, he was deeply involved in helping to increase our enrollment by more than 25%, our research funding by more than 35%, and the university’s economic impact by more than 45%.”
Keen said he had a long list of people to thank for where he stands today. At the top of the list, he thanked God for his family and supporters and for the educational opportunities he enjoyed in Georgia.
“I thank Him for the Hope Scholarship. All those who created it, continued it, and protected it to this day. As a first-generation college student, I can tell you without a doubt, scholarships make all the difference in the world in the lives of our students. I’m living proof,” he began. “I thank Him for all the professors, faculty, and staff at Georgia Southern University and the University of Georgia who helped prepare me as a student and saw something greater in me than I saw in myself. I thank Him for directing my path with the number of mentors and friends.”

Among those mentors and friends, Keen singled out two men. One was Dr. Keel, his mentor at Georgia Southern. The other was local businessman, Nick Evans who helped lead the campaign to “Save the A.”
“When the history of this place is written, it will have a special place for Mr. Nick Evans and all those who rally to not only identify us with this magnificent city, but to continue to demonstrate a personal commitment to AU through philanthropy and advocacy.”
Evans told ABD, Keen and Keel before him represent unique full circle moments. Two Augusta natives who returned to lead Augusta University.
“Our future is so good, and a lot of it is because of Dr. Keel for the last eight or nine years, and what he has done,” Evans said. “But he did a fantastic job in also preparing Russell Keen for this day. There is no doubt, no doubt whatsoever, that Russell Keen is the right man at the right time, and he is going to do a fabulous job moving Augusta University forward. Our future is so bright.”
PUBLISHERS NOTE: Dana Lynn McIntyre did a one-on-one interview with Dr. Keen. On Tuesday, she’ll share where he sees AU today and what he sees for future successes and challenges.